Joe Flacco makes his Bengals debut, while Dak Prescott looks to continue rolling vs. the Panthers. (Frank Bowen IV / The Enquirer / USA Today via Imagn Images; Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

Nothing like a trade to throw some spice into the middle of an NFL season.

While we’ll certainly see plenty more swaps at next month’s trade deadline, two trades caught headlines this week, with the Cleveland Browns sending Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals and the Baltimore Ravens sending Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers. Our NFL writers Zak Keefer, Mike Sando and Jeff Howe dish on whether those two trades might matter.

Also up for discussion this week is Dak Prescott’s MVP case. Does the Dallas Cowboys QB have one or should someone else be in the forefront at this point?

Let’s dive in.

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The Bengals are on the road against the Packers on Sunday. Is Cincinnati’s trade for Joe Flacco enough to save their season until Joe Burrow returns?

Sando: I see a path to 9-8 if Burrow returns to start the final four games. Much of this will be outside the Bengals’ control. Kansas City could plausibly be 2-4 after facing Detroit this week. Baltimore is reeling. The Chargers are dealing with major injuries up front. Those situations do increase the chances for Cincy. I think the Bengals will be 3-6 at their bye after facing the Packers, Steelers, Jets and Bears over their next four.

Howe: No. While it’d be a really cool story to see Flacco replicate the success from his couch-to-Cleveland move in 2023, that was the outlier. Remove that season, and Flacco is 6-21 as a starter in his post-Baltimore days. And sure, you could argue this Bengals team is better than some of Flacco’s prior stops, but the offensive line is still a significant question mark and the defense has allowed the third most points in the league. That’s not a sustainable formula for success for a 40-year-old QB who will be learning a new offense a month into the season.

Keefer: It was worth a shot, but no, this ship is sinking. I’d have given it a slim chance of working if Flacco had been with the Bengals throughout training camp, working as Burrow’s backup, absorbing the system. But this move feels desperate. Flacco spent the drive on I-71 from Cleveland to Cincinnati speaking with Zac Taylor on the phone, who was teaching him the offense, for the start he’s about to make mere days after the trade. What this trade really tells you is how desperate the Bengals were to move on from Jake Browning.What You Should Read NextInside the Bengals’ crash course of Joe FlaccoFlacco’s presence was measured in hours, not days, in the wake of the in-state trade that stunned the NFL.

The Cowboys are on the road to face the Panthers. Has Dak Prescott made a realistic case for MVP so far this season? Does another player have a better case?

Sando: Baker Mayfield would be my choice right now. Let’s see how many games the Cowboys win as they face Carolina, Washington, Denver and Arizona heading into their bye. It’s easy to forget that Prescott was second in MVP voting during his most recent full season (2023).

Howe: The Cowboys need to get into the playoffs for Prescott to garner serious MVP consideration. He’s played well, no doubt, but I’m not ready to put him into the MVP mix. Baker Mayfield, Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, Daniel Jones and Josh Allen are ahead of him at QB. I’d even put Puka Nacua ahead of him.

Keefer: Prescott has absolutely made an MVP case through five games, and he’s done so without CeeDee Lamb for most of it. But Jeff is right. We know how this works. The AP voters are never going to crown an MVP who plays for a team that fails to make the playoffs, so Prescott has work to do — and so does the Cowboys’ defense. That unit should improve over the course of the season under coordinator Matt Eberflus, but so far, it’s been among the worst in football.What You Should Read NextNFL MVP odds: Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes crack top 3, Dak Prescott emerges as dark horseIs now the time to buy low on Prescott? Will Mayfield challenge Allen at the top?

The Ravens sending LB Odafe Oweh to the Chargers was the other notable trade this week. Could this be the start of the Ravens cleaning house on the defensive side of the ball and if so, is that the right move? How much does this trade move the needle for the Chargers? The Ravens host the Rams and the Chargers visit the Dolphins on Sunday.

Sando: I love the fact that the Chargers are being opportunistic in the trade market. That has not been their style under previous leadership. It sends a positive message to the locker room. And it does help the team’s depth while Khalil Mack recovers from injury. I would not anticipate the Ravens unloading a bunch of talent from their defense. Oweh was a player the team apparently did not plan on extending.

Howe: The Ravens have a methodical team-building approach that’s been working for decades, so I don’t see them blowing it up on the heels of a month-long injury epidemic. As for the Chargers, I like this trade for them. They needed a shot in the arm after ugly losses to the Giants and Commanders. And even if the Chargers manage to steal the division from the Chiefs for a season, someone like Oweh also represents a mission to maintain the charge for the long haul.

Keefer: I’ve been disappointed with the Chargers’ two-game skid, particularly with the sloppy football they’ve played. It’s not the style Jim Harbaugh fashioned his team in. Adding Oweh will alleviate some of the need at pass-rush, and hopefully help this team finish better. L.A. has been outscored in the second half a combined 25-8 to the Giants and Commanders the last two weeks. As for Baltimore, panic won’t be the answer. It’s wild to think a few weeks ago, this team was up 15 on the Bills in Buffalo with less than a quarter remaining in the opener. Now it’s in free-fall. Baltimore might need to start thinking about long-term fixes for 2026 and beyond, because the hole they’re in after Sunday might be too deep to climb out of.

The Cardinals and Colts meet after an unfortunate distinction for both teams in the last two weeks. Cardinals RB Emari Demercado and Colts WR AD Mitchell both lost touchdown opportunities after dropping the ball just before crossing the goal line. Why does this happen so often? Is it just part of the game? Do you think teams will ever levy more severe punishments on players who do this?

Sando: Many years ago, then-Washington QB Gus Frerotte slammed his head into a wall after a touchdown run, giving himself a concussion. Reporters asked his coach at the time, Norv Turner, how Turner planned to address the situation. Turner facetiously said he would add to the team manual a paragraph reminding players not to bang their heads into walls.

I mean, it’s ridiculous, right?

Teams routinely show their players videos of these types of goal-line fumble plays, in hopes their own players will avoid them. Should they really have to implement a hard rule against what should be a super basic thing?

Howe: It’s the most embarrassing play in all of sports. There’s no excuse for having a mental lapse like that. This isn’t like missing a 2-foot putt, or getting posterized, or letting a groundball squeak through your legs or blowing a tire on the ice. You’ve already done the hard work by getting close to the end zone, and now you’re going to drop the ball for what? To make your celebration look like 1 percent cooler? Or because you lost track of where the grass changed colors?

Keefer: The sad part is Mitchell made a tremendous catch before the gaffe, and Demercado would have all but sealed the Cardinals’ win over the Titans. The coaches reacted quite differently — the Colts’ Shane Steichen punished Mitchell by playing him only sparingly a week later, while Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon lost his cool and erupted on the sideline, later apologizing. Finishing with the ball tucked high across the goal line is something position coaches drill into every player throughout training camp. There’s no excuse for an NFL player to make such a mind-numbing mistake.

What are your thoughts on second-year QBs so far this season? Who’s impressed most? On Sunday, Bo Nix’s Broncos face the Jets and Drake Maye’s Patriots play Spencer Rattler’s Saints. Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels meet again when the Bears take on the Commanders on Monday night. Michael Penix Jr. and the Falcons have an opportunity against the Bills on Monday, too.

Sando: Drake Maye has his team at 3-2 with victories over Miami and Buffalo in the division, while producing the best statistical line. He’s having the most impressive second season by those realistic measures. It’s early and I’m going to let the season play out a little longer before changing opinions too much. Williams has shown some encouraging signs.

Howe: Maye’s jump this season has been the most impressive. He’s reaping the benefits of better coaching and a slightly improved roster, so his talent is taking over. I also think Maye is going to be a lot better by the end of this season, which is wild because he’s got so much room to grow. I was already overly impressed by Daniels, who is the best of the second-year QBs at this moment.

Keefer: I’m with Mike and Jeff — Maye seems to be coming into his own. The show he put on in the second half of Sunday night’s win over the Bills was electric. Daniels set the bar so incredibly high last year that measuring up against that was always going to be difficult. The two I’m most curious about are Caleb Williams, who’s steadily improved under Ben Johnson, and Michael Penix Jr., who’s been up-and-down in Atlanta. But neither has stamped anything yet, and the coming months will be most revealing. Which way will the arrow be pointing at the end of the season? That’s the real barometer.